Nine gaming associations in Spain have issued a joint statement in support of the nation as it battles the COVID-19 pandemic. The organisations offered their support for government initiatives aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 and reassured workers in the industry that it will be business as usual as soon as possible. The associations expressed their commitment to “full collaboration with those initiatives aimed at slowing down the advance of COVID-19.”

The statement goes on to say:”For all of us who make up the gaming family clients, employees and companies, we want to show our greatest gratitude for the responsibility shown so far and encourage them to continue to act with the same commitment and sense of duty, because our individual and social responsibility forces us to fully comply with the official measures recommended to stop this pandemic.

“To the workers in the sector, we want to convey our gratitude and a reassuring message, because we will do everything possible to regain the jobs that have now been affected,” the associations said.

“We have to rise to the occasion and go one step further as a sector. Any initiative that we can implement will be well received by society and we believe that it is time to show our true character of social responsibility. We encourage you all to come up with ideas that we can execute both jointly and individually.

“We must also think about tomorrow: after the health crisis we will have to face the economic crisis and there we must also show our best qualities, an entrepreneurial, innovative character, and a sector that generates employment and wealth. Finally, we appeal to the responsibility of the administrations and we trust to continue working together, as we have always done, so that measures are implemented that facilitate business recovery. It is key for the economic restoration of the country that the sectors that generate employment re-establish their normal level of operation as soon as possible”, the nine Spanish entities concluded, signing the statement.

The statement was released by ANESAR (The Association of Game and Recreational Salons) ASESFAM (The Spanish Association of Gaming and Recreational Machine Manufacturers), CEJ (The Spanish Confederation of Organizations of Bingo Game Entrepreneurs), CeJuego (The Business Council of Gaming), Club de Convergentes (The Spanish association of manufacturers and developers of gaming machines and systems), COFAR (The Spanish Confederation of Entrepreneurs of the Recreational Games in Hospitality), FEJBA (The Business Federation of Bingo and Chance Games), FEMARA (The Spanish Federation of Rehabilitated Gamblers) and Plataforma para el Juego Sostenible (the Platform for Sustainable Gaming).

Spain has extended its state of emergency for two more weeks to allow the government to extend lockdown measures in an attempt to contain the coronavirus. Spain reported 655 new deaths in one day on Thursday bringing the death toll to 4,089. There are over 56,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the country.